Apparatus for burning liquid fuel



(No Modem H. A. HOUSE.` APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL. No. 581,480.

PatentedApr. 27, 1897.

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UNITED STATES *l ATENT Fluten.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,480, dated April 27, 1897.

Application filed March 161 1395 To all whom, t may concern:

Beit known that I, HENRY A. HoUsE, a citizen of the. United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Burning Liquid Fuel, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in regulating devices for vapor-burner apparatus, having for its objects to insure a more thorough combustion of the gases, to prevent the loss of oil and the dangers resulting from the leaking of oil from the burner, and to secure a uniform draft, as fully set forth hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which represents my invention as applied to a stationary horizontal tubular boiler, showing the same in part sectional elevation.

X represents the lire-box of a boiler, which may be of any suitable construction, a horizontal tubular boiler being shown with the fire-box mounted upon a suitable foundation. Within this foundation is arranged the burner A, which is a liquid-fuel burner of any suitable construction, supported beneath a generator B, to which oil is supplied through a pipe 3 and from which the vapor iiows through a pipe 4 to the burner. Heretofore it has been usual to arrange suchburners within the fireplaces without any attempt to regulate the quantity of air which is supplied to the same, and as a result there is very frequently an overplus of air, which tends to chill and condense the vapors and keep the parts in too cool a condition, causing a deposit of carbon and preventing the full consumption of the product of combustion. In order to prevent these defects, I inclose the burner in a casing of a suitable character, as, for instance, a surrounding casing C, open at the top to permit the air to pass upward around the burner and communicating with a duct or flue 10, through whichthe air can pass to the casing, and in this duct or iiue I arrange a valve 12, by which the passage of air through the duct and to the casing may be regulated. The valve may be set by hand, but it is by far the most preferable to have it act automatically, and for this reason I combine with it some automatic'- operating apparatus which will open the valve, so that the proportion of air admitted Serial No. 541,989. (No model.)

to the burner will be in proportion to the amount of oil admitted, inasmuch as the greater the supply of oil which is evaporated a greater amount of air is required to thoroughly consume the product of this evaporation.

The supply of oil through the pipe 3 is regulated by means of a cock or valve 7 in the pipe, and aregulating apparatus, which may be of any suitable construction, is so connected with the valve 7 and the damper or valve 12 that in proportion as one is opened the other will be opened.

Preferably the regulating apparat-us is of such a character as to be operated by the pressure of the steam in the boiler, so that as the pressure increases above the normal amount the air and oil cocks will both be gradually closed. As shown, there is a regulator R communicating with the steam-space of a boiler and containing a piston 16, the pistonrod ofwhich bears upon a lever 17 connected by light rods 19 2O with arms upon the spindles of the valves 7 12. The pressure lifts the piston 16 against the action of a spring 18, bearing upon the lever 17 and this spring may be compressed to any desired extent by forcing downward a block 22, which, as shown, is in the form of a nut turning` upon the lower threaded end of a spindle 23, -which may be turned to depress the nut and compress the spring or lift the nut and release the spring. From the nut extends a pointer 24 through a slot in the side of the casing containing the parts, and when the engine is running the spindle 23 is turned so as to force the nut with the pointer down to the lower end of the slot, thereby putting the greatest pressure upon the lever 17, so that the oil and air will not be cut off except when there is an excess of pressure in the boiler; but when the engine is at rest the spindle 23 is turned so as to lift the nut, the pointer indicating the extent to which this is lifted, thereby relaxing the pressure of the spring,so that a less increase of pressure will cut off the oil and air from the burner.

In burning apparatus of this character the oil is sometimes supplied in excess or the parts are cold, so that all the oil is not vaporized and a certain portion passes to and flows from the burner. The overliow of oil into the iire- IOO box or fireplace is in most instances attended With danger of injurious results, and I therefore provide a pan 5 for collecting this oil, and as it should not accumulate in any quantity even in such a receptacle I connect With the said receptacle a pipe 27, and preferably having one or more traps, as shown, and flowing to a reservoir 2S. This reservoir may be arranged in any suitable position, but I prefer to arrange it in such position that it may be made, in connection With a float 29, the means of controlling the iioW of oil through the pipe. Thus the float is connected with a cock 0 in the pipe 3, and if through any accident the flame should be extinguished and the parts of the burner become cold and the oil flow continuously through the pipe 3 the flovi7 of oil would be automatically cut off as soon as sufficient oil had passed to the reservoir 2S to lift the float 29 and close the valve G.

It is of the utmost importance in liquid-fuelburning apparatus that the draft should be regulated in accordance with the character of the flame. It' the draft should become too strong, the gas is sucked away from lthe burner and no combustion takes place adjacent to the burner, and much of the heat is lost. For this reason I provide the apparatus with a damper regulating the draft-passage, as, for instance, the uptake or passage I. The damper 30 is arranged, as usual, in the said pipe and is connected by means of connecting-rods and levers With the diaphragm 3l of a regulator J, the space below the diaphragm communicating with the smokechamber as. In proportion as the draft tends to increase the vacuum in the smoke-chamber the diaphragm 3l is drawn down and the damper 30 is turned toward a horizontal position, so as to close the draft-pipe in proportion as the strength of the draft increases, thereby maintaining a uniform draft at the burner.

Vhile I have shown the various appliances above described in connection with a horizontal boiler, it will be evident that they may be used in connection With boilers or generators of other characters, and that in some instances some of the devices may be used Without the others.

Vithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown, I claim as my invention- 1. The combination with af urnace, a boiler, and a burner, of means for supplying air to the furnace, means for directing the air to the llame of the burner, means for supplying a combustible fluid to the burner, and means for regulating the air-supply and the combustible-fluid supply in accordance with the variation of pressure in the boiler, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a furnace, a boiler, and a self-generating burner, of means for supplying air to the furnace, means for directing the air to the flame of the burner, means for supplying combustible fluid to the burner, and means for regulating the air-supply and the combustible-fluid supply in accordance with the variation of pressure in the boiler, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a furnace, a boiler, and a burner, of means for supplying air to the furnace, means for directing the air to the flame of the burner, means for supplying combustible fluid to the burner, means operated by variation of pressure in the boiler for regulating the air-supply and the combustible-fluid supply, and means for automatically cutting off the supply of such fluid Whenever from any cause there is an overflow of the same at the burner, substantially as described.

In testimony Whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of tivo subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY A. HOUSE.

Witnesses:

GEORGIA l?. KRAMER, I. A. FAIRGRIEVE. 

